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Sen. Franken Issues Statement on Individual Insurance Market

Targeted News Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., issued the following statement after Senate Health Committee leadership announced that there will be bipartisan hearings to address how to stabilize the individual insurance market in September:

"I have always said that Congress needs to work in an open and bipartisan way on real solutions to improve health care for all families in our country. But the Republican health plan, which I fought against and the Senate rejected last week, flew in the face of bipartisanship. It was a mean-spirited bill that was first written in secret and then rewritten hastily hours before being voted on.

"Now I believe it's time for Democrats and Republicans alike to roll up our sleeves and get to work. And I'm glad to see that Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, a Republican, has sent the signal that he agrees. Ensuring a strong and competitive individual market would bring down insurance costs and improve access to coverage for millions of people.

"I've long been calling for us to come together, under regular order, and work across the aisle to make health care better for the people we represent. This is the first step to doing that."